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墨書 Inktalez
"I just don't like her; I think she's a proud person." Xie Youshun looked at Xiao Lihua, who was glaring at him without worry or anger. His wife was clearly concerned about him!
"My reputation was even worse back in the day. It seems you're determined to marry a proud wife," Xiao Lihua huffed. After all, she had been kicked out of the Gao Family for trying to climb the social ladder, and her pride was higher than Zhang Shuitao's.
Xie Youshun shifted closer to Xiao Lihua, pulling her into his arms and saying, "It's fate that I married you. I'm just glad that over the years, I haven't hit or scolded you. Otherwise, I can't imagine how much it would hurt now."
Xiao Lihua felt warm inside as she listened, realizing he still liked her as she was now. She softly leaned against Xie Youshun and said, "Anyway, I don't care if Zhang Shuitao has feelings for you. You should look at her less. You're my man, and if you dare to look at her even once more, I won't let you off easily."
Xie Youshun laughed upon hearing this; his wife was still so fiery when jealous. In the past, her fieriness had annoyed him and made him feel irritated, but now it brought him joy.
Xiao Lihua playfully bit his chin and said unhappily, "No laughing! I'm serious. If you dare to look at her again, I'll bite you to death!"
Her bite wasn't too hard but still stung a little. Xie Youshun inhaled sharply and leaned back. As Xiao Lihua leaned in again to kiss him, he kissed her back, and they became entangled.
The next day, Yang Cao came over. As soon as she entered, she sighed heavily, her face filled with anger. Xiao Lihua poured her some water and asked how Song Sanniang was doing.
"What else could it be? She's not going to die! She's still lying at home and has woken up; all she does is cry. Normally, I thought she was okay since she didn't talk much, but it turns out that the more quiet she is, the more trouble she causes! Now that the child’s uncle insists on marrying her, she's making a fuss about wanting to come in as well, saying she'd be willing to be a concubine to serve the whole family. Who wants her to serve us?"
Yang Cao gulped down a glass of water in one go and then filled another bowl before drinking it all again, clearly very upset.
Xiao Lihua advised her, "Alright, don't get angry. Just leave this matter to the village chief and others to handle. You should take care of your health; right now, it's up to you and Li Brother to hold things together at home."
Yang Cao sighed and nodded. "That's right; Xiao Yue's grandparents are really furious this time. They feel embarrassed and don't even want to leave their house; it's all up to us now. To be honest with you, not only them but even I feel embarrassed when I see the villagers. In our farming family, no one can escape from this kind of scandal. Xiao Yue's uncle not only refuses to repent but also insists on taking a concubine! He's neither childless nor a wealthy lord; why does he want a concubine? And a widow at that! It's shameful!"
"What is Zhang Shuitao doing? Did she run back to her parents' house out of anger?"
Thinking about how Zhang Shuitao once wanted to marry her man made Xiao Lihua feel quite complicated. She didn't really want her to run back home; after all, if things didn't work out with Li Long, what if she came back to bother her husband? Just thinking about how Zhang Shuitao looked at Xie Youshun annoyed her. After all these years, she could still dream about him; that meant she still cared. Their lives were better now, but with Zhang Shuitao holding a grudge against her, there was a chance she might try to wedge herself between them.
Xiao Lihua trusted Xie Youshun but couldn't be bothered to guard against Zhang Shuitao.
Let Zhang Shuitao continue with Li Long; they were indeed a match made in heaven!
Yang Cao said, "She hasn't run away; she's probably feeling guilty for still having feelings for another man. I've noticed that if she really left, Xiao Yue's uncle would probably marry Song Sanniang directly."
Xiao Lihua thought to herself that it seemed Zhang Shuitao also did not want to be divorced by Li Long. That was good; let them quarrel among themselves, as long as it didn't disturb her own life.
Yang Cao sat for a while before leaving again. She had come out to catch her breath but needed to return home, as she was truly indispensable there. Xiao Lihua said that if she couldn't take care of Xiao Yue, she could send Xiao Yue over to her place. Yang Cao nodded and mentioned that Xiao Yue was currently at Wang Dashan's house before leaving.
This matter had been causing a stir for several days. Zhang Shuitao's family members came over after receiving news from an unknown source. However, upon hearing that Zhang Shuitao was thinking about another man, they all felt guilty and came in a huff but left dejected. They told Zhang Shuitao to take good care of her in-laws and not to cause any more trouble. As for Song Sanniang, they insisted that Li Long should not take her as a concubine, but Li Long stubbornly refused to back down, insisting that Song Sanniang must enter the Li Family, or he would divorce Zhang Shuitao.
In the end, due to Song Sanniang's sudden vomiting, Zhao Physician diagnosed her with a faint pregnancy pulse. This matter was finally settled; with the backing of her mother, Song Sanniang was allowed to enter the Li Family.
The village chief's family had mixed emotions. Li Long was happy; he had only one son over the years and naturally wanted more children. However, after Zhang Shuitao gave birth to Dog Egg, there had been no further developments. Now that Song Sanniang had become close to him and was pregnant, he couldn't be happier and treated Song Sanniang even better. Zhang Shuitao was furious and cried out, claiming it might not even be Li Long's child, nearly provoking Li Long into hitting her again. The village chief and the village chief's daughter-in-law felt both joy and anger. Li Xing and Yang Cao were not pleased at all; they felt this situation was becoming increasingly chaotic and their family had become a laughingstock.
Seeing the chaos in the house was not a good situation for the village chief, so he finally discussed with the village chief's daughter-in-law about splitting the family.
In the past, if they were to split the family, it would have definitely meant separating Li Xing's family since everyone had long been mentally prepared for this. After all, Li Long had a son, and the village chief intended to groom him to become the next village chief, so it made sense for them to live together. In those days, splitting families did not necessarily mean living with the eldest son; one could also live with the younger son, which was normal for parents who favored their younger sons.
However, now that such a thing had happened with Li Long, both the village chief and his wife were concerned about their reputation. They did not want to live with Li Long anymore; he could no longer be village chief and wanted to take a concubine—something quite unusual in this rural area. The couple could not afford to lose face.
Thus, they decided to live with their eldest son instead, even if he had no children and even though they were reluctant to part with their little grandson Dog Egg.
Naturally, the village chief and his wife would not move out of their old house; instead, it would be Li Long and his family who would move out. The village chief gave them silver and divided everything fairly between them so they could build their own house before moving away.
Xiao Lihua blinked in surprise and asked, "Is Li Long willing?"
Yang Cao replied, "He has no choice but to comply. My father-in-law is not someone easy to deal with. In fact, my father-in-law previously suggested that Song Sanniang give birth to the child and then leave with some money while never returning again so that Xiao Yue’s uncle could live well. But Song Sanniang refused and insisted on seeking death or life together with him. So my father-in-law made up his mind to split the family."
Xiao Lihua realized that Li Long really had fallen for Song Sanniang. She had always heard how loving he was towards Zhang Shuitao; it turned out it was merely superficial. Zhang Shuitao harbored feelings for another man while Li Long also had another woman he was willing to abandon his parents and wife for without caring about reputation or status.
Zhang Shuitao ultimately did not have a complete falling out with Li Long. Although he cared deeply for Song Sanniang, he did not insist on divorcing Zhang Shuitao since she was Dog Egg's mother. However, because it had been publicly stated that Zhang Shuitao had feelings for another man, Li Long felt embarrassed and could no longer tolerate her as before; whenever they met, he always wore a long face as if Zhang Shuitao owed him something.
Once an enviable couple, they had now become objects of scorn and sympathy among everyone in the village.
Xiao Lihua sat together with others discussing this matter with sighs of regret.
As this matter passed and rice planting season ended, the Paddy Field turned lush green while Wheat grew tall enough that harvest would come in just over a month.
At this time, with spring in full bloom, it was the perfect season for building houses. Li Long was assigned by the village chief to construct a house, along with others who were also dividing their families, including Xie Family members Xie Youtai and Xie Youhe.
Ruyi had now married off, and the situation of families not separating their living arrangements could finally come to an end.
Xie Youhe and his wife went to inform Ruyi and received some Silver in return. Coupled with the savings they had accumulated, they could build a decent house. They had also found a good location, which was not far from Xie Youshun's home but more forward. Since Li Long's family was also building a house, they became neighbors.
Xiao Lihua thought that having these two families close together might make things livelier in the future. She asked Yang Cao about it. Yang Cao said it was because Li Long wanted to live there; it was near the edge of the village, spacious enough to occupy more yard space. The village chief was somewhat disheartened at the time and didn't bother to manage it.
Xiao Lihua felt that some people would still turn bad even if surrounded by good neighbors. For instance, Xie Youhe and Li Long had brothers who were not bad when they were together, yet they still went astray.
Xiao Lihua didn't focus too much on others; she was busy herself. This year, they were also building a house. Although they currently had a place to live, Xiao Lihua initially thought of waiting before building again. However, seeing others start their constructions sparked her interest. In the end, after discussing with Xie Youshun, they decided to go ahead with building their house so they could enclose all the land next to them.
Next door was a bamboo forest that Xie Youshun had already purchased from the village chief for a small sum. They had done a good deed by helping repair a bridge for the village, so the village chief said that the village would remember their kindness, and thus the bamboo forest did not cost much.
Xie Youshun planned to enclose the entire bamboo forest with a high wall, which would be a significant project. Therefore, he invited many people from the village to help. He had always been well-liked and offered wages for work, so many responded eagerly.
This year, no one was serving labor duty, so there were plenty of villagers available. With several families building houses at the same time, there was no shortage of manpower since everyone was focused on this area; every day was bustling with activity.
The author has something to say: Finally wrote it out. I guess I should write before meals in the future; after eating, I feel so sleepy. Once I'm full, I get drowsy—it sounds like some round animal~~~
Thanks to Dandan the Little Cat for two landmines.
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